HYDERABAD : Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has declared that he will not beg before the Centre for inclusion of Muslim and ST reservation in the IX Schedule of the Constitution but rather fight for it.

Terming the Telangana Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of seats in educational institutions and of appointments or posts in the service under the State) Bill, 2017 as historic, he has, however, made a fervent appeal to the Centre to include the bill, which seeks to provide 12 pc reservation to Muslims, in IX Schedule.

KCR told the Assembly that it would not be so easy for the Centre to accept the bill. “TS Bill will be referred to the home, law and other ministries. The attorney-general will also vet it. The Centre may suggest some deletions or additions to it.”

Rao, however, averred that the Centre could not reject the state bill on some pretext or other as it had, in the past, included the Tamil Nadu’s Act for providing more than 50 percent reservation in the IX Schedule.

“The Centre cannot have different policies for different states,” he said.

When T Jeevan Reddy of the Congress wanted the to know whether chief minister had confidence that the Centre would include the state’s reservation bill in the IX Schedule, Rao shot back: “I have full confidence.”

Rao also wanted the Centre to allow the states the freedom to increase the quota as per the needs of the states. KCR also announced a follow-up action on the bill.